Sunday, January 24, 2010

Homophobia and Condoms!

so, i was watchin this video earlier today. i watch one of their videos whenever i find one i haven't seen. i really like their different perspectives, and the majority of the time, i agree with them. however, that is not the case for one portion of their message in this video.

if you go to about 7 minutes and 50 seconds in, they will be talking about the different forms of genocide that are encompassed in the word. and around this time, they say that birth control as well as homosexuality are forms of genocide. the brother on the left even goes as far to say that it is the "vilest" form of genocide against blacks.

now, i definitely have problems with both of those assumptions. for one, the claim that birth control is a form of genocide is just asinine. my friend Yvette brought to light the fact that they may be coming from a historical perspective of the idea of birth control, which is very much so racist and was a blatant attempt to kill or lessen the number of blacks, Chicanos and Native Americans. heres a pretty good article that goes in detail about Margaret Sanger's crude means of experimentation as well as her Eugenics agenda. Margaret Sanger is hailed as one of the biggest advocates for birth control, and many even pay respects to her today. birth control (abortion as well as contraceptives) were started by a racist for a racist and genocidal agenda. period. so, on that level, i would agree with them. however, i would completely disagree with them if they are asserting that any female who takes contraceptives or has abortions in this day and age is adding to the genocide of our people. when they want to take on the behemoth challenge of caring for or adopting the THOUSANDS of children that are born each year to parents (or just mothers...)that don't want them, who then have to battle the foster system full of pedophiles and physical abusers only to be thrown out with no help at the mere age of 18, then maybe i would back up their point. but thats never going to happen. and second, AIDS/HIV is one of the biggest if not THE biggest killer of black people. blacks here in the United States, in the West Indies, in South America, and in Africa. it is an epidemic. and one of the biggest defenses against this is a condom (as well as birth control which stops women from giving birth to children with the disease). Christian missionaries have already done of a good job of convincing our people that condoms are "playing god" or some similarly absurd bullshit (....but if i wanted to play their god, i'd start by going on a killing spree...), as well as telling them that a child is a gift from their god, even if you can't afford to feed or clothe them, and no matter what type of shitty situation you're going to bring this child into. so the last thing any person of color needs to be telling other people of color is to stop using contraceptives. the parallels between what the Sons of Malcolm asserted in this video and right-wing overzealous and often racist Christians have to say about birth control and homosexuality are astounding. this is reason to be alarmed. women are not just on this earth to pop out babies and raise them. this is the idea that has aided in our subordination. and considering women will be left raising a child 9 times out of 10, we have to use means of eliminating the case for a pregnancy or an unwanted child. how interesting that these two men, who will never have to face an unwanted pregnancy, never have to bring a child into this world, who probably don't even know change a fuckin diaper, think they can tell a woman that a contraceptive is wrong. the audacity...the problem with most people on this planet, not just people of color, if that there are too many people bringing children into this world that they don't want; that they cannot support-financially and/or emotionally. not only do situations like these add to the stress of the parents in the situation, but it also is simply infair to a child.

and to the second point-the assertion that homosexuality is a "the vilest" form of genocide. this is equally as asinine as the first statement. in the awesome book i just finished reading-Gender Talk, these two women do a fantastic job of showing the problems with homophobia, as well as the myths involved in it, and the inherent problems with their assertions. the chapter starts on page 154 entitled Black, Lesbian, and Gay: Speaking the Unspeakable. not only do they show the many similarities between homophobia, racism and patriarchy, but they also show that many homophobics that fight for the end of racism usually believe that homosexuality is a perversion brought on by Europeans that was never present in Africa prior to colonization. Johnnetta and Beverly do an excellent job of showing the flaws in this stance:

in order to contextualize the debate about "homosexuality" in Africa, it is important to take into consideration the complexity of same-sex practices in cultural contexts around the world and to recall the reality of "homoerotic" practices among most human cultures, according to scholars. in other words, what cultures consider to be normal and natural in the sexual arena varies considerably around the globe. ... there are societies in which same-sex erotic behavior is frequent, though they lack a concept of the "homosexual" person or homosexual identity. in other words, a connection is not made between who one is and what one does. being involved in an intimate or erotic relationship with a person of the same gender does not necessarily result in the society attaching a "homosexual" label. it is mainly in the west and only since about 1700, that we have divided human being into two oppositional categories: heterosexual and homosexual. ... 'our sexual culture is not universal to the human species'.... despite widespread notions about the decadence of the west...some scholars argue that 'western societies have been fare more repressive toward homosexuality than the indigenous cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.'

they then go into citing book by Africans that explain some of the sexual relations in African societies involving same-sex unions as well as some women in some societies taking on the role of a man and taking up multiple wives. Samori says that it is a form of genocide because it hinders procreation. so does menopause, so does abstinence, so does any form or sex that doesn't result in a child. just because an act is hindering procreation does not by default make it genocidal. aside from the typical definition of "genocide", i think there are connotations as well that present genocide as an active form of killing individuals of a group in order to exterminate that group. one woman having an abortion, or two men never biologically producing a child is not genocide because it is not an attempt to exterminate a group of people. making an absurd claim like that almost trivializes the reality of genocides like ones in Rwanda, Sudan, and the Jewish Holocaust. and in addition, homophobia within the colored communities not only separates us as brothers and sisters but also has many devastating consequences. in places like Jamaica, where homosexuals have to fear for their lives, granted they're open about their sexuality, it also adds to the spread of the diseases i was talking about earlier. health clinics that have been set up specifically for the assistance and testing for AIDS/HIV have been violently targeted (because people have come to label AIDS/HIV as a "homosexual disease")by homophobics, it only adds to the spread of this deadly disease.

when people who want to end all forms of oppression cannot see oppression in other arenas other than racism, like patriarchy and homophobia, then how can they expect to properly battle any form of oppression. oppression is oppression, and you cannot battle one and truly expect to change it while leaving the others as they are. i still like these guys, because i agree with most of the other things they bring to light, however, there is a problem when you cannot see oppression in it rawest form.